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Archaeological evidence shows Jainism was a significant religion in Bengal during the early historic period. [1]
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| Jainism |
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Archaeological evidence shows Jainism was a significant religion in Bengal during the early historic period. [1]
Saraks are a Jain community in Bihar, Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand. They have been followers of Jainism since ancient times; however, they were isolated and sain community]] in western, northern and southern India.
According to Ramesh Chandra Majumder, the Jain scholar Bhadrabahu, the second Louhacharya and the author of Kalpa Sutra may have come from the Sarak community. [2] The Saraks were agriculturists and moneylenders having landed properties.
They have continued to remain vegetarian even though this practice is uncommon among other communities in the region. Saraks have Parshva as a favored patron and recite the Ṇamōkāra mantra. The 24th Tirthankara Mahavira visited this region according to the Kalpa Sūtra.
The Saraks lost contact with Jains in the rest of India after its conquest by Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji. Contact with the Digambara Bundelkhand Jains was reestablished when the Parwars Manju Chaudhary (1720–1785) was appointed the governor of Cuttack by the Maratha Empire.
In 2009, more than 165 Sarak Jains living in parts of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand visited the ancient Jain pilgrimage center of Shravanabelagola. A special function to welcome the Sarak Jains was organised at Shravanabelagola. [3]
Most of the Bengali Jains now live in the Indian state of West Bengal.
| # | District | Total population | Jain population | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kolkata | 4,496,694 | 254678 | 4.09% |
| 2 | Haora | 4,850,029 | 9,699 | 0.20% |
| 3 | North 24 Parganas | 10,009,781 | 4,452 | 0.04% |
| 4 | Puruliya | 2,930,115 | 3,052 | 0.10% |
| 5 | Murshidabad | 7,103,807 | 3,037 | 0.04% |
| 6 | 3,596,674 | 2,904 | 0.08% | |
| 7 | Hugli | 5,519,145 | 2,160 | 0.04% |
| 8 | Koch Bihar | 2,819,086 | 1,869 | 0.07% |
| 9 | Darjiling | 1,846,823 | 1,840 | 0.10% |
| 10 | Barddhaman | 7,717,563 | 1,674 | 0.02% |
| 11 | Paschim Medinipur | 5,913,457 | 1,550 | 0.03% |
| 12 | Jalpaiguri | 3,872,846 | 1,461 | 0.04% |
| 13 | Uttar Dinajpur | 3,007,134 | 1,324 | 0.04% |
| 14 | Birbhum | 3,502,404 | 1,152 | 0.03% |
| 15 | South 24 Parganas | 8,161,961 | 972 | 0.01% |
| 16 | Maldah | 3,988,845 | 639 | 0.02% |
| 17 | Purba Medinipur | 5,095,875 | 574 | 0.01% |
| 18 | Dakshin Dinajpur | 1,676,276 | 323 | 0.02% |
| 19 | Nadia | 5,167,600 | 281 | 0.01% |
| West Bengal (Total) | 91,276,115 | 60,141 | 0.07% |
| Census year | % of total population |
|---|---|
| 1951 | 0.08% |
| 1961 | 0.08% |
| 1971 | 0.07% |
| 1981 | 0.07% |
| 1991 | 0.05% |
| 2001 | 0.07% |
| 2011 | 0.06% |
It is to ensure that the above mentioned data is incorrect while the actual percent is very high for jains and other relegions those following Hinduism ,Sikhism ,Islam and others . So far my details and research thethe population is also wrong for the above mentioned cases.Thanks for your attention.Thank you.Edited by hindustani .. express
Mahavira, also known as Vardhamana, was the 24th tirthankara of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd tirthankara Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6th century BCE into a royal Kshatriya Jain family in ancient India. His mother's name was Trishala and his father's name was Siddhartha. They were lay devotees of Parshvanatha. Mahavira abandoned all worldly possessions at the age of about 30 and left home in pursuit of spiritual awakening, becoming an ascetic. Mahavira practiced intense meditation and severe austerities for twelve and a half years, after which he attained Kevala Jnana (omniscience). He preached for 30 years and attained Moksha (liberation) in the 6th century BCE, although the year varies by sect.
Rajgir, meaning "The City of Kings," is a historic town in the district of Nalanda in Bihar, India. As the ancient seat and capital of the Haryanka dynasty, the Pradyota dynasty, the Brihadratha dynasty and the Mauryan Empire, as well as the dwelling ground of such historical figures as The Buddha and The Mahavira, the city holds a place of prominence in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain scriptures. As of 2011, the population of the town was reported to be 41,000 while the population in the community development block was about 88,500.
Shikharji, also known as Sammed or Sammet Shikharji, is one of the Holiest pilgrimage sites for Jains, in Giridih district, Jharkhand. It is located on Parasnath hill, the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. It is the most important Jain Tirtha, for it is the place where twenty of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras along with many other monks attained Moksha. It is one of the five principal pilgrimage destinations along with Girnar, Pawapuri, Champapuri, Dilwara, Palitana and Ashtapad Kailash.
Parshvanatha, also Pārśvanātha, Parshva, Pārśva and Parasnath, was the 23rd of 24 Tirthankaras of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of Kalīkālkalpataru.
In Jainism, a tīrtha is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha. A tirtha provides the inspiration to enable one to cross over from worldly engagement to the side of moksha.
Jainism is India's sixth-largest religion and is practiced throughout India. Per the 2011 census, there are 4,451,753 Jains in the 1.35 billion population of India, the majority living in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, however, the influence of Jainism has been far greater on the Indian population than these numbers suggest. Jains can be found in every states and union territories, varying from large societies to smaller. The state of Jharkhand, with a population of 16,301 Jains also contains the holy pilgrimage centre of Sammed Shikharji. Jains can be found throughout India and in many other countries throughout the world.
Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.
Karnataka, a state in South India has a long association with Jainism, a religion which enjoyed patronage of major historic kingdoms in the state such as the Rastrakuta Dynasty, Western Ganga, Kadamba and Chalukya dynasties and the Hoysala Empire. Today the state is home to a number of Jain monuments, such as temples, Gommata statues and stambhas.
This article contains the index of articles related to Jainism.
Saraks is a community in Jharkhand, Bihar, Bengal, and Orissa. They have been followers of some aspects of Jainism, such as vegetarianism, since ancient times, however, were isolated and separated from the main body of the Jain community in western, northern, and southern India and have been Jain Bengalis ever since. The governments of India and West Bengal both have classified some of the Saraks under Other Backward Classes since 1994 but many of them have been in the General category from the beginning itself.
Bahulara Ancient Temple is located in Bahulara village in the Onda II village panchayat, in the Onda CD block in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is 5 km (3.1 mi) from Ondagram railway station and 25 km (16 mi) from Bishnupur.
Hinduism is the largest religious tradition in the Indian state of West Bengal with approximately 70.5% of the population identifying themselves as Hindus. The Hindus in West Bengal mostly belong to the Shakta, minority to Vaishnavite and a small community belong to Shaivite and other denominations. The vast majority of Hindus in West Bengal are Bengali Hindus numbering around 55 million and comprising 60.2% of the state population of 91.35 million (2011) but a notable section of non-Bengali Hindus also exist, particularly among Marwaris, Biharis, Odias, Gurkhas, Sindhis, Gujaratis and various tribal communities such as Koch, Santals, Munda and particularly Adivadis numbering around 9.4 million comprising rest 10.3% of the state population. Hindus have decreased in west bengal due to conversion to Islam which National Commission for Backward Classess(NCBC) notices.
Para is a village, with a police station, in the Para CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in West Bengal, India.
Sarnaism is a religious faith of the Indian subcontinent, predominantly followed by indigenous communities in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region across states like Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. This belief centers around the reverence of Sarna, the sacred groves of village communities where the village deity, known as Gram deoti resides, and where sacrificial offerings are made twice a year. It's also referred to as "Sarna Dharma" or the "Religion of the Holy Woods", and it holds the distinction of being India's largest tribal religion.
Suisa is a village in the Tunturi-Suisa panchayat in the Baghmundi CD block in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Chharra is a village in the Purulia II CD block in the Purulia Sadar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Deulghata, near Baram in the Arsha in the Purulia Sadar subdivision of the Purulia district of West Bengal, India, has ancient/ medieval temples.
Haraktor is a village in the Para CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Shankara is a census town and a gram panchayat in the Para CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Bengal temple architecture is about temple styles developed and used in Bengal, particularly the chala, ratna and dalan temples.
